Roy Lichtenstein American Indian Theme Series For Sale

Roy Lichtenstein’s six print American Indian series, 1980, (American Indian Theme 1,11,111,1V, V, V1) is one of the most sophisticated of his oeuvre; the series is indicative of both his vast knowledge of art history and also his acute interest in native American cultures. In American Indian Theme series, Lichtenstein devotes the artworks to the native American Indian tribes often challenging the cliches through which they are represented in mainstream American culture. 

Lichtenstein’s interest in native American Indians began in his childhood visiting the American Museum of Natural History, he created artworks focusing on the romanticised portrayal of the native subculture in his 50’s pre-pop portfolio, before revisiting the indigenous themes in this 80’s series. 

Lichtenstein created American Indian series whilst he was living in Southampton, Long Island, near the Shinnecock Indian reservation and also around the same time Native American activism was emerging: Marlon Brando famously sent Sacheen Littlefeather to the Academy Awards in 1973 to decline his Best Actor award in protest at Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans. Lichtenstein used his pop art appropriation techniques to contrast society’s stereotypical view of indigenous communities against the reality of their living situations and in doing so create a discourse around cultural misrepresentation. 

The American Indian series prints are intricate in composition; instantly familiar in their depiction of recognisable native Indian symbols and motifs, yet rendered abstractly with hints of cubist techniques. Lichtenstein skillfully takes cliche objects used in everyday culture as a representation of Native Americans -  totems, textiles,  arrows, beadwork, headdresses - reinterpreting them through his pop art lens. Recreated through bold block colours, geometric shaped surrealist composition and flat planes, the American Indian series utilises traditional woodcut carving and even metallic surfaces to create the tonal interplay of light and shadow. 

In his celebratory depiction of these American Indian tribal designs and decorative indigenous motifs, Lichtenstein enables the re-writing of Native American heritage in the consciousness of mainstream popular culture.